8x10
by Annabella6
Summary: So this is a story I started a long time ago, and I've finally decided to post and finish. At the end of "Sanctuary" Faith is taken away by the Watcher's Council for re-education. Then Giles shows up in Tru's morgue. Takes place during season 5. B/F T
1. Chapter 1

"Cause I remember  
The day you followed me home  
In a fit of reminiscence I took you in  
A passionate skeptic with a dimpled smile  
You framed yourself so well  
You were a perfect 8x10."

-Alix Olson

* * *

"Hey girl," Marco said as he entered the crypt with their latest client.

"What's up?" Tru said as she put down her book and approached the gurney.

"We've got a white male, late forties," he said as he pulled back the sheet.

The man looked pale, as though all the blood had been drained from his body. There were two small holes on the side of his neck.

"What happened to him?" Tru asked, somewhat nauseated by the wound.

"Well let's see," Marco said as he pulled out his clipboard. "He  
was found about a block from here in an ally. There seemed to be  
some kind of struggle, and this strange bite wound seemed to be what  
killed him. They think he died around midnight. The police really  
don't know much else than that."

Tru studied that man's face. It wasn't necessarily the gruesome  
wound that perturbed her, but rather the man himself. Despite the  
lack of life in his body, he still seemed somewhat disturbed. She  
shook her head as she pulled the cover back over him.

"Does it ever get any easier?" She asked.

"You get numb to it after awhile," Marco said as he headed towards  
the door. "Oh, and by the way, his name is…let me see here…Rupert  
Giles."

Tru sat at Davis' desk reading her book. She laid it down, unable  
to concentrate on it. There were so many in the people in the crypt  
tonight, she was just waiting for one to call out to her.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" She asked her self as she laid her  
head down. "I really am crazy." She picked up the business card  
that was lying next to her on the desk. It was the only thing  


Rupert Giles had on him. "Magic Box?" Tru mumbled to herself,  
confused by the card.

Just then a hollow voice echoed through the morgue. Startled, Tru  
got up and headed over the newest member of their dead family. The  
eerie voice got louder as she opened the door to where Rupert Giles'  
body lie. A cold gust of wind traveled up her spine as she pulled  
back the sheet to reveal his white face. Tru tensed up, waiting for  
the moment he would turn to look at her. She finally released a  
breath she didn't realize she was holding, when he didn't call out  
to her.

"Thank God," she murmured when she realized she wouldn't have to  
deal with twilight zone episode tonight.

Just then the man's face rolled over and looked her in the eye.

"Help me."


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy concentrated on the target hanging on the wall of the training  
room. Giles had insisted waking Buffy up at the crack of dawn.  
Fingering the knife in her hand, she finally released it. It landed  
a little to the right of the bulls-eye.

"Very nice Buffy," Giles said as he inspected the location of the  
weapon, "but it could be better."

"Story of my life," Buffy mumbled as she walked over to sit on the  
bench.

"I'm sorry Buffy what was that?"

"Um, nothing Giles. I…just…sneezed, yeah, it was really weird"

The Englishman took off his glasses and began to clean them on his  
shirt, an obvious sign of annoyance.

"Look Buffy, I know things have been hard for you lately, with…um…  
your mother…but you can't slack off on your training. I don't have  
to remind you…"

"Yeah, yeah I know. One girl in every generation, whose life is  
completely forfeited without her even getting a say in it. I've  
heard. I know it. I get it."

"You know Buffy, I don't think you do."

Buffy stood up from the bench, clearly frustrated. "I don't want to  
have this talk right now Giles."

Just then the bell rang out in the Magic Box.

"Buffy wait, just let me help this customer. I want to continue  
this conversation."

"Can we postpone til tonight?"

"I'm sorry we can't Buffy, I'm going up to LA for the Magik  
Convention."

"Fine," Buffy said, defeated. She gathered up her stuff to make a  
quiet exit. She didn't feel like talking to anyone, let alone  
Giles. He couldn't possibly understand. No one could.

"Can I help you?" Giles said to the brunette who was checking out  
the books. He almost had a heart attack when she turned around.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a Rupert Giles. My name's Tru Davies and I  
really need to talk to him."

"Um well, yes, that's me. But perhaps we could go somewhere else…"

He was interrupted by Buffy coming out of the training room.

"Giles, it's the weirdest thing. I thought I heard you talking to…"

Buffy stopped in her tracks when she saw the brunette standing in  
front of her.

"…Faith," she said with more shock than anger.

"No Buffy, please wait, let me explain…" Giles pleaded, trying to  
stop a confrontation before it started.

Buffy stared at the dark-haired girl as she walked towards her. "I  
knew you'd come back one of these days."

Tru looked behind her. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Buffy laughed. "Nice Faith, very nice. Playing the innocent girl, I  
like that one."

"Look there must be some mistake. My name's Tru, not Faith."

"The hell it is," Buffy said as she moved towards the dark haired  
girl.

"Buffy wait," Giles said as he stepped in front of her.

"Don't you even try to stop me."

"It's not Faith?"

"What?" Buffy asked, shocked.

"She isn't Faith."


	3. Chapter 3

Tru was confused with the situation unfolding in front of  
her. "Look maybe I should go…"

"No," Buffy said vehemently. "Don't you move a muscle"

"Look, Buffy," Tru said in a mocking tone, "I don't know who you are  
but do you start talking to me like you talk to your British friend  
here."

"Oh that's it," Buffy said as she tried to make her way past Giles.

"No wait," Giles said as he grabbed Buffy's arm. "Remember when the  
council took Faith away?" He whispered her in her ear. "Well, this  
is what's left."

Buffy's eyes widened at the realization.

Tru was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable in the  
situation. "Look all I really need is to talk Mr. Giles here, and  
I'll be on my way."

"What the hell did they do to her?"

"Buffy we'll talk about this some other time."

The blonde folded her arms. "No, we talk about this now, with her  
here."

"I'm sorry," Tru interjected, "But what is going on?"

Buffy nodded to Giles. "You're on."

"No Buffy I'm under…"

The blonde moved menacingly closer to the English man. "Look  
Giles," she said in a low whisper, "you know I would never hurt  
you. But right now, my patience is really being tried. If I don't  
get an amazing explanation about this Faith clone right now…"

Giles put his hands up, stopping her. "Very well. Ms Davies, if  
you would sit down, there's something I'd like to explain to you."

Tru hesitantly made her way over to the table and took the seat  
across from Buffy. She refused to look at the blonde girl. The  
severity of her gaze was making Tru nervous.

Giles removed his glasses and paced in front of the two young women  
seated at the table. "Well let's see. Where to start. Alright,  
first of all, Ms Davies, in every generation…"

"Alright I get it," Tru said, frustrated by the entire  
situation. "Faith, this Slayer, turned evil, tried to kill everyone  
and was then captured by the Watcher's Council. And you haven't  
seen her since. So how exactly do I fit into this scenario?"

Giles approached the brunette and knelt down to her level. "It's  
what happened to Faith after being taken by the Council. They  
erased her memory with magic, and instilled her with a new one.  
They gave her a family, all composed of people who formally worked  
for the council."

"Well, that's great for Faith then," Tru said, "she got a second  
chance. Now what the hell does this have to do with me?"

Buffy let out a frustrated sigh. She'd never hated the council more  
than she did in this moment.

"Well they gave her a brother, sister and an estranged father. And  
they gave her a new name: Tru. Rather an ironic choice."

Tru's eyes widened. "That's ridiculous. I…I have memories and…"  
She stood up and backed away from the British man.

"They're fabricated, not real at all."

"No, no, this is…this is all bullshit," Tru said as she headed to  
the door.

"Wait, Ms. Davies," Giles said as he prepared to go after her.

Buffy stood up and stepped in front of him. "I think you've done  
enough," she said coldly as she followed the brunette out of the  
door.


	4. Chapter 4

"Harrison?" Tru said into her cell phone, tears streaming down her  
face.

"Yeah Tru, it's me. What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The brunette chocked on a sob. "You're…if…you love me, right?"

"Of course I do, why would you ask me that?"

"I just…is my name really Tru?"

"What is wrong with you? Did you hit your head?"

"No, no, it's just, these people…they're telling me I'm somebody  
else. It's…I know it sounds strange."

"Try hearing it from this end."

Tru laughed through her tears. "I'm sorry Harrison. It's just been  
a strange day. I'm heading back now; I'll see you when I get there."

"Alright Tru, take care of yourself."

Harrison excused himself from the poker game and went outside. He  
dialed a number on his cell phone as he leaned against the alley  
wall.

"It's Harrison," he said. "Yeah. She knows. Let's go with ahead  
with the plan. Uh-uh." With that he clicked the phone closed and  
headed back inside.

"Damn this place is confusing," Tru said as she walked down the same  
alley she'd been through at least three times before. "Where the  
hell did I park?"

"Tru, wait," Buffy yelled at the brunette as she approached her.

"Don't come near me. Look, I don't know what kind of game you and  
your friend are playing but I've had enough of it," she said as the  
blonde came closer.

"I don't want to believe it anymore than you do, but it's not a  
game. It's real. You're not who you think you are."

Tru scoffed at the blonde's remark. "That's funny, because I don't  
think you know the first thing about me."

"Tattoo. Upper right arm."

Tru narrowed her eyes and put her hand over her bicep. "I'm not  
convinced," she said as she turned from Buffy and head in the  
opposite direction.

"Just talk to me," the blonde said as she grabbed Tru's arm.

"I said leave me alone," she said as she pushed Buffy backwards.  
The blonde flew back farther than Tru had expected. The brunette  
looked down at her hands, shocked.

Buffy got up and dusted herself off. She took the brunette by the  
shoulders and pushed her back against the brick wall.

"I'm finished being nice," Buffy said in a menacing tone. She was  
severely close to Tru, her body almost pushed up again the  
brunette's. Tru felt a lowdown tickle, not all that unpleasant.

Buffy pulled the bottom of Tru's shirt up, revealing a scar on her  
stomach. "I gave you this, remember?" she said in a lowered voice,  
as she ran her fingers along the scar. Tru flinched at the intimate  
touch.

"We were fighting at your apartment…" Buffy broke eye contact with  
Tru, looking down at the scar. "The last thing I ever wanted to do  
was hurt you," the blonde said, her eyes filling with tears. She  
released the brunette's arms and stepped back. "I thought it was  
the only way."

Tru pulled the blonde girl into her arms. "All I can tell you is  
I'm drawn to you. I don't understand it."

Buffy pulled back and and looked the brunette in the eye. "Just  
come back and talk to Giles one more time."

"If that's what you want."

"It is."


	5. Chapter 5

When Tru and Buffy walked into the Magic Box, all the Scoobies had  
assembled. Willow let out an audible gasp in seeing Tru, all Xander  
could do was avert his eyes.

Tru felt she was being judged for crimes she didn't even commit.  
Well didn't remember anyways.

Buffy stepped protectively in front of the brunette.

"It's alright Buffy, everyone's been caught up," Giles said.

"So this was your very first orgasm buddy?" Anya said to Xander,  
louder than he, and everyone else, would have liked.

"Anya please. She doesn't even remember it."

"How could you not remember a night with Xander Harris?" Anya  
asked. She leaned closer to Tara who was sitting next to her. "He  
does this thing where he rotates his…"

"Okay, consider this scoobie meeting now in session," Willow said,  
her face turning red.

"Tru, this is Xander, Anya, Tara and Willow," Buffy said,  
introducing the group.

"Hey," Tru said meekly.

Willow couldn't believe this was the same person who had almost slit  
her throat almost two years ago.

"Well first of all…" Giles started.

"No. I need answers," Tru interrupted. "I want to know why?"

Giles was confused. "I believe I explained that. Faith, the  
person you were, became very dangerous. The council believed it was  
her best interest to put her in a new life, one where she could be  
controlled."

Buffy narrowed her eyes. "And you went along with this?" she said.

"I had nothing to do with this Buffy. I only know the details."

"That part I understand, but I want to know why they gave me the  
memories they did. My mother's death, Meredith's coke problem,  
Harrison's gambling troubles, and now this thing with the dead  
people talking to me"

"Well, the council believed that if you had traumatic events in your  
life then you would never stray to far away from your family. They  
wanted to keep you in a contained space. And I'm sorry, but did you  
say dead people were talking to you?"

"Yeah, I thought you knew that already. You know, the dead people  
ask me for help and I'm sent back to repeat the day and save them.  
That's how I found you; your dead body asked me for help."

"What?!" Willow asked. "Giles, you died?"

"No he didn't, but he's supposed to; tonight actually," Tru replied.

"I suppose that makes sense that you would still have some sort of  
supernatural ability. Perhaps the Powers That Be are trying to get  
you back in the fight for good, or rather it's a side effect of the  
treatments…"

Buffy interrupted Giles' muttering. "So, when Giles goes to his  
Magik Convention tonight he gets killed. I'd definitely skip that  
one."

"There's no Magik convention is LA tonight," Willow said. "If there  
were, Tara and I would definitely know about it." The blonde girl  
nodded her head in agreement.

Giles took off his glasses to clean them.

"Then why would Giles go to LA if there's no Magik Con…," Anya asked  
before Xander's hand over her mouth stopped her.

"You've been watching Tru, haven't you?" Buffy alleged.

"You don't…" Giles began.

"You're helping the council? How could you do that?"

"Buffy, I…"

"You knew where she was all this time, and you never told me. How  
could you do that to me Giles?"  


"Because I knew you would go see her!" Giles yelled. "Do you think  
I didn't know, Buffy, how much you loved her? Do you realize how  
much it pained me to see you get your heart broken time after time  
when Faith betrayed your trust. How all I wanted was for you to  
move on with your life. I only did what I thought was best for you."


	6. Chapter 6

No one knew what to say. Every just sat in the awkward silence that  
had fallen on the group. Tru felt like her heart had jumped up into  
her throat. Buffy's entire demeanor around her had suddenly made  
sense. And in a way, Tru felt relieved, like a huge burden had been  
lifted off her shoulders.

Buffy continued to stare at Giles until her eyes began to fill up  
with tears.

"Oh, Buffy…" Giles said, stepping forward to comfort the blonde.

"No," she said, stepping out of the Englishman's reach. She opened  
her mouth as if she was going to say something, but stopped  
herself. "I…I'm going now," Buffy said as though she was in shock.  
She turned from everyone and exited the Magic Shop.

Giles leaned back against the counter as he massaged the bridge of  
his nose. He was earnestly trying to avoid the accusing gaze of the  
scoobies. But mostly he was trying to avoid Tru's glare. He could  
almost hear the dark-haired girl seething.

"I think that's the most fucked up thing I've ever seen," Tru said.

"Excuse me?" Giles asked.

"You're a pretty controlling guy, aren't ya Rupert?"

"I would venture to say that you don't know the first thing about  
me."

Tru chuckled. "And isn't that funny, because it seems you know so  
much about me."

"Well you're a relatively simple character, wouldn't you agree?"  
Giles mumbled as he moved past Tru.

The dark-haired girl grabbed the Englishman by the throat and shoved  
him up against the wall. "Does this feel familiar, cause its sure  
coming pretty natural to me," Tru whispered.

"Alright, alright. There's no need to get all craz…irrational,"  
Xander said, trying to diffuse the situation.

Tru stared at Xander, aware of how scared he was of her. She  
released her hold on Giles. The Englishman rubbed his neck at he  
watch the dark haired girl calmly walk out the door.  


"Yes everything is fine," Buffy said into the receiver.

"You don't sound ok. What's going on?"

"Nothing Dawn. I'll fill you in on everything later, I promise.  
Are you sure it's ok with Janice's parents if you stay there another  
night?"

"They're pretty cool, I'm sure they won't care. You promise you'll  
tell me later?"

Buffy sighed. "Yeah Dawn. I'll see you tomorrow." The blonde girl  
hung up the receiver and sat down on the couch. She put her head in  
her hands. Everything had become so complicated. All of a sudden  
there was a soft knock at the door.

"Go away," she yelled.

Tru softly opened the door and poked her head in. "Just making sure  
this was the right house."

Buffy turned her back on the black haired girl and walked into the  
kitchen.

"Buffy wait, I need to talk to you."

Buffy spun around. "What's to talk about? The fact I've been in  
love with Faith since the first moment I ever saw her. And that  
when you walked into the Magic Box this morning I realized that the  
feelings had never left me. And then we could talk about how you're  
not really her anymore and I'm the reason it happened. That the  
only person I've ever lost myself in doesn't have a fucking clue who  
I am."

Tru was taken aback by the passion in Buffy's voice. The blonde  
seemed as though she was going to crack any minute.

"You don't even remember that night back at your motel room when you  
made me feel like I was the only person in the world. And I  
promised you…I…I promised I'd always take care of you." Buffy  
collapsed into tears.

Tru bent down and gathered the blonde in her arms. She held the  
blonde while she sobbed the dark haired girl's arms. Tru lightly  


kissed Buffy's forehead. The blonde girl looked up into her eyes.  
She gently cupped Tru's face with her hand.

"I may not remember you," Tru said as she kissed Buffy, her tongue  
tracing the blonde girl's lips. "But my body does."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: So I want to apologize for the crappy formatting in the first chapters. I'm a little new to posting stories here, and I thought it would be magically fixed. Also, this is my first update to this story, and hopefully it doesn't stick out like sore thumb. I definitely appreciate the feedback, and hope to be concluding within the next week or so.

* * *

Tru pulled back to see the shock in Buffy's eyes. She immediately regretted her rash actions. She released Buffy and stood up.

"I'm so sorry, that was so out of line..."Tru said, mumbling more apologies.

Buffy smiled as she took the dark-haired girl in her arms. "God I've been waiting for that for so long."

"This feels so…right," Tru said into Buffy's shoulder.

"I think I've finally figured it out," the Blonde said.

"Oh yeah? What's that."

"You are Faith. My Faith. But you've got a second chance. This is what you would have been like if you hadn't been screwed over your entire life. I can handle the fact that you don't remember us, because I know the life you have now is better."

Tru placed a gentle kiss on Buffy's lips. "I'd have to be crazy to ever forget a girl like you."

"Well Faith always was always teetering towards the crazy side."

Tru cocked an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Not bad crazy, well a little bad crazy, but fun crazy, except for the stabbing…"

Tru interrupted. "Maybe it was your rambling, because I've gotta say, I'm feeling some homicidal tendencies beginning to surface."

The scoobies sat at the table, each of them leafing through a different book. They were still on the hunt for any more information they could get on Glory. Giles refused to sit, but rather paced the floor and cleaned his glasses.

"Ya know, if you rub a little harder, maybe they'll disappear all together," Xander said, referring to Giles' nervous habit.

"Oh, right," Giles stuttered as he joined the gang at the table. "Found anything new?"

Anya pushed a book in front of Giles. "Uck, look at this drawing of me. I would never wear a corset. Of course that was the latest rage of the time, but I was never a slave to fashion. I was a non-conformist."

"D-d-d-didn't you kill on the instruction of scorned women?" Tara interjected.

"Hey!" Anya protested. "I thought you were shy."

"This is getting us nowhere," Willow said. She was still upset from the earlier incident with Buffy and Tru.

"What's up Wills? Still a little freaked from Faith's not-too-evil twin?" Xander asked.

"Yeah I guess, I mean I just don't understand. What does this mean? Is she going to be staying? With Buffy? And if so, are they going to…?"

"Please stop," Giles interrupted. "Why don't you all go out and do what you kids do. I believe we've had enough excitement for one…"

Giles was interrupted by the door the Magic Box flying off it's hinges.

"What the hell?" Xander yelled. All of the scoobies attention was immediately drawn the angry blonde man who came rushing in.

"I apologize for my gruff entrance," Harrison said as he surveyed the room. "Ah Rupert, just the man I wanted to see."

Giles faced turned hard. "Get out of here."

"Well ya see I'd like to," Harrison said as he pulled a gun from the back of his pants. "But someone's got to clean up your mess."


End file.
